


Love at First Sight

by LokiFirefox



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-13
Updated: 2012-07-13
Packaged: 2017-11-09 21:36:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/458710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokiFirefox/pseuds/LokiFirefox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Hermione's friendship is put to the test.  Just how far will they go for each other?</p><p>Ginny fans might not be pleased with me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love at First Sight

“Harry!”

Harry's ears pricked at the panic in Hermione's voice as she called out his name. He was gratefully gulping down a cool goblet of pumpkin juice, his throat was particularly parched after a grueling round of Quidditch practice. His eyes were closed, just relishing the cool, sweet juice as it washed away his thirst.

“Harry! Stop! Don't drink that!”

Harry lowered the goblet and turned towards Hermione's voice. He was about to open his eyes when the last sound he heard was Hermione calling out.

“ _Stupefy!_ ”

And everything went black.

***

Harry slowly crept back to consciousness. There was a tightness, like a vise around his head. He could feel sheets under him as well as a pillow. From the stiff linen, he could tell he was in the infirmary. He's been here often enough to become intimately familiar with the hospital beds. He couldn't see anything though, just blackness. His hand reached up around his head and he could feel a thick cloth around his eyes. He was beginning to panic when he heard a familiar, if tired, voice.

“It's a blindfold, Harry. Please don't take it off.”

“Hermione? Is that you?”

He was answered by silence. For a second, Harry thought he must have imagined her voice when she spoke again.

“I'm sorry, I forgot you can't see. I nodded, Harry. Yes it's me.”

“What happened?” he asked, events that happened earlier that day slowly coming back to him. “Did you, I mean, did—”

“I'm sorry Harry,” she interrupted. “Yes, I stunned you.” Harry could hear the apology in her voice. He couldn't help but notice how true that old saying was. When one sense was inhibited, the others were sharpened. He could hear something else in Hermione's voice. Something. It sounded like pain and sorrow, Harry was wondering what it was.

“Hermione? There's something else, isn't there? Why did you cast a stunner at me? I'm not upset that you did, I know you, you must have had a good reason why.” Harry tried to think back, there was Quidditch practice. Ron was doing splendidly. He was running a Keeper drill, flying with the Chasers and trying to shoot as many goals as quickly as possible to build up Ron's blocking skills; and Ron was doing really well. He called for a break and noticed that someone had set up a drinking station. His throat was parched and he flew down to get something to drink. His eyes widened under the blindfold.

“The pumpkin juice was poisoned?”

“No! Yes! Well, sort of...”

“Just tell me Hermione,” Harry said, his frustration coloring his tone. Not knowing was probably doing him more harm than good anyway. Hermione seemed to understand that.

“The juice was spiked,” she said softly, almost a sigh. “It was laced with a powerful love potion.”

“Oh,” Harry said. Well, he really shouldn't be surprised. Ever since the Daily Prophet changed its tune and proclaimed that Voldemort had returned and that he was the 'Chosen One,' he had noticed how the girls in Hogwarts started looking at him differently. One thing puzzled him though.

“So what's with the blindfold?”

“The potion will make you fall in love with the first person you see. The blindfold is there to keep it from happening.”

“Oh,” Harry said. A silence falls between them. Harry could hear the quiet in the room. The infirmary is usually silent but this was a different quiet, he couldn't hear anything aside from Hermione breathing. He wondered how late it was, was dinner about to start?

“Hermione?”

“Yes Harry?”

“What time is it?”

“It's half-past ten.”

“At night?” Harry was shocked, he almost didn't hear Hermione answering in the positive. He must have been out for over six hours! Why didn't they revive him sooner? Why did they let him sleep it off? Is this why he was still blindfolded? He was unconscious and couldn't take the antidote? Why was Hermione here after curfew? She was a prefect, sure, but still... and what was that in her voice? Grief? No, not entirely.

“Hermione can you please tell me what's going on? There's something else you aren't telling me. Is it the potion? Are we still waiting for it to run its course? Or is Professor Slughorn finding it difficult to find an antidote?”

Harry could hear labored breathing. Was Hermione _crying?_ What in Merlin's name was going on? He slowly started to get anxious. He unconsciously reached out for her.

“Hermione...?” he whispered and he couldn't help but feel relief when he felt her small warm hands grab his.

“I'm sorry Harry,” Hermione _was_ crying! He could hear it in her voice! Knowing that she needed him gave him a surge of strength and he reached deep and found some calm. He let it settle over him and squeezed Hermione's hands trying to send some of that calm to her. It seemed to work. She squeezed back and he could hear her settle down. He felt the mattress give way as she sat beside him. He pulled himself up to a sitting position. He had to let go of one of her hands to do this but as soon as he was comfortable he reached out until she put her other hand back into his.

“It's okay Hermione. Just tell me.”

“Pag-Ibig sa Unang Tingin.”

“What?”

“Pag-Ibig sa Unang Tingin,” Hermione repeated. “It's a powerful love potion.” Her voice steadied as she went into lecture mode. “It literally translates into 'Love at First Sight' and it's the most powerful love potion ever brewed. Unlike other love potions, Pag-Ibig sa Unang Tingin has no antidote and once ingested, it stays in your system until activated.”

“Activated?” Harry asked, his mouth suddenly dry. No antidote?

“Yes,” Hermione replied. “The first person you see—boy or girl, young or old—you will fall completely and utterly in love with.” Her voice suddenly hardened. “' _Love!_ ' It isn't love! It's the Imperius Curse in a bottle!” Harry had heard anger in Hermione's voice before but this was something else.

“Do you know the worst thing about this Harry?” Hermione asked. She went on before Harry could answer. “The worst thing is that you will still be you. Your personality will stay the same, your choices won't differ much except that you will be completely devoted to the first person you see! If you were a gibbering idiot, that's one thing; but this! It will be a mockery of everything you are! If you acted like the usual victims of love potions, at least people will know right away that you are a victim of it and people will understand that you aren't really responsible for your actions. But with this potion, people won't realize that you've been enslaved! That your choice of who to love was taken from you! Even if I explained it to you, you'll simply accept it and you won't even be bothered by it! It's a betrayal of everything that love stands for!”

Harry's blood ran cold throught her rant. No antidote? No cure? His insides twisted. “I-is that why I have a blindfold? To keep the potion from activating?”

Harry's voice seemed to bring Hermione back to herself. “Yes Harry. I stunned you before you could see anyone.”

“So what does this mean, that I have to wear the blindfold for the rest of my life?” Harry asked, he couldn't help but begin to panic. “I'll be blind?! I can't live like this Hermione!”

“Harry! If you take it off, the potion will go into effect! You'll be the thrall of the first person you see!”

“Hermione!” he exclaimed, trying to make her understand. “I barely survived Voldemort's attacks and that's when I _could_ see him coming! I'm a sitting duck Hermione! Even if I get the drop on him, I can't cast a spell on him because _I wouldn't know where to aim it at—!_ ”

Harry suddenly felt Hermione's arms around him as she hugged him, breaking off his rant. He could hear her frantic 'I'm sorry's' whispering into his ear. He slowly started to relax. His mind was whirling, there must be a way out of this! There must!

“H-how did this potion get in the school anyway?” he asked. He needed more information. He heard Hermione sigh and she reluctantly let him go but she did grab hold of his right hand again.

“Professor Slughorn and Professor Snape are working on a project,” Hermione began. “I only got every piece of the puzzle in the last couple of hours you understand. Anyway, having two Potion Masters under one roof was too great an opportunity to waste so Professor Dumbledore asked them to work on several projects together. One of which was to brew a potion to break someone out of the Imperius Curse.

“Professor Slughorn and Professor Snape brewed all kinds of love potions to study the effects of artificial compulsion. They were hoping that if they could understand the principle of compulsion chemically, they can produce an antidote.”

“So they brewed that Pagi... Pagbig—”

“Pag-Ibig sa Unang Tingin, yes,” Hermione said. “Like I said, it's the most powerful compulsion potion in the world.”

“So Snape decided to prank me?” Harry hissed, his temper began to rise.

“No Harry!” Hermione exclaimed. “In fact, he was the one who discovered the theft and put me on it. He thought you would be the most likely target. If he didn't I wouldn't have gotten to you in ti—” Hermione paused, took a deep breath and continued. “Well not in time as it turned out. I was too late—”

“Don't you dare!” Harry interrupted her. “You kept me from being enslaved!”

He tightened his grip on Hermione's hand. He put his left hand on top and said, “Um, thanks Hermione. Thank you for saving me again.”

“Oh Harry...”

They sat in silence for a while. Then Harry cleared his throat. “So, um, who put the potion in my pumpkin juice?” Harry was greeted by silence. His brows rising, he wondered why Hermione was silent. “Hermione?” he couldn't help but let the worry seep into his voice. “Hermione, who put the potion in my juice?”

Hermione mumbled something, Harry couldn't hear. But he heard it again. That _something_ in her voice earlier. It was like sorrow mixed with anger. What is that? Then when Hermione repeated the name again. It clicked. He knew what it was.

“Ginny.”

Betrayal.

Harry was rocked to his core. Ginny? _Ginny?!_ Why? Why would she do this? He already loves her!

“H-harry?”

“How? _Why?!_ ” He could feel Hermione's wince through their hands.

“As to how, she was one of Professor Slughorn's assistants in the research project. She was the one who suggested they study love potions to try and find a cure for the Imperius Curse. She had access to the lab. Dobby said it was her idea to have a drinking station during Quidditch practice, she asked him to set it up. And when I ran up to you, she had landed in front of you while you were drinking.

“As to why...I-I don't know...”

“I _love_ her, Hermione,” Harry's voice was ragged as he started to breathe rapidly. How could she do this to him? “I already love her! She doesn't need a potion! Why would she do this to me?”

“I'm so sorry Harry.”

Harry felt Hermione's hands on his face. He realized he was crying, his tears bleeding through the blindfold and down his face. Her hands were wiping them away.

Ginny took away his choice! She always wanted the Boy Who Lived! Apparently it didn't matter that he told her he was hers; no, that wasn't enough, of course it wasn't! His word was never enough. She wanted him, body and soul. Harry's infamous temper, roared to life fueled by betrayal and a broken heart. To hell with her! He'll be damned if he gave her the satisfaction! She wanted him this way? He'll do everthing in his power to deny her that. He pictured Ginny's devastated face as he slavishly followed another girl. While the thought made him feel a little better, the bitterness that followed was hard to take. He had to think this through.

He can't be blinded for the rest of his life. He'll be dead by the time he left the grounds and maybe even earlier than that. Hogwarts didn't quite live up to its reputation as the safest place in Britain. So he has to fall in lo—, no he has to _bind_ himself to someone. Hermione was right, whatever this potion did to its victims, it wasn't _love._

So if he's going to be bound to someone, it will be his choice. He'll have some measure of comfort in that. What if he bound himself to himself? Look in the mirror? Will that work? A loophole?

No. That wouldn't work. It's not real love after all, it's a compulsion. It'll quickly turn into self-centeredness, and then into selfishness. The worst kind of selfishness, too, where no one will matter but him. He might survive long enough to destroy Voldemort but he'll sacrifice everyone to do it and he'll probably become the next Dark Lord not soon after.

No, he'll have to choose someone who won't take advantage of him, someone who remembers what's best for him, even more than himself. And someone who'll make sure he sees this through. Of course. Who else?

His decision made, he raises his hand and slowly starts to unravel the knot behind him.

“Harry! What are you doing?” He could hear Hermione's voice rising.

“I can't live like this Hermione, blind and in fear—”

“Harry, think about what you are doing! If you take off your blindfold you'll be enthralled by the first person you see! That's me Harry! No one else is here! Not even Madam Pomfrey!”

“Good. I don't want to be bound to her.”

“Harry!” He felt her hands on his stopping him. He didn't want to fight her. He had to make her see.

“Please Hermione,” he begged, his voice soft with pain. “You said this potion took away my choice to love. Okay, I can live with that much like I can live with everything that's been thrown at me. At least you saved me, gave me the chance to choose who I will bind myself to.

“I choose you.”

He felt her hands loosen and drop to his sides. He lowered his hands as well.

“Harry, I... Harry you have to help me understand,” her voice sounded so weak. He hated hearing her so sad but he couldn't help but feel pleased as he noticed how she easily accepted his choice of using the word “bind.” She really understood him. It only solidified his choice. But first, he had to make her understand.

“Hermione... I-I can't sit here and wait,” he began, trying to find the words in frustration, trying to articulate why this was so important. “If I were just anyone else, I suppose I can sit here blindfolded and wait until a cure was found. But I'm not. I have a bloody prophecy to fulfill. People will die if I waste time sitting here waiting for something that might not even happen. Are they even close to finding a cure?”

Harry waited without hoping, knowing if they were, Hermione would have mentioned it long before now.

“No.”

Harry's heart still ached even though he was expecting that she would confirm his worst suspicions. But that paled in comparison to how much it saddened him to hear that tone in Hermione's voice; he never heard her so defeated before.

“It's okay Hermione,” he said, trying to cheer her up. “I'm used to it you know. I'm resigned to the fact that my life is not my own.”

“It's not funny.”

“I'm not trying to be. It's just a fact. Prophecy Boy, remember?”

“It's not fair—” she began but he interrupted her.

“Tell me about it,” he said with a smirk.

“Prat,” she said but he could finally hear the smile in her voice. “Why are you comforting me? You're the one with the incurable potion in your system.”

“I needed to calm you down so you can listen to reason.”

“Listen to reason? Having you bound to me is reasonable?”

“Fine. You pick. Who should I bind myself to then?” he asked but then plowed on before she can answer.

“Don't say Dumbledore. I don't trust him anymore, not after last year. He would use me well enough to end Voldemort but what about after? He puts others before me, you know that. Professor McGonnagal? She's nice enough but she hardly knows me and she knows me best among all the professors. Besides, they are both old enough to be my grandparents. I don't fancy even thinking about being in love with them, even artificially.

“Moony? Setting aside for argument's sake the fact he's old enough to by my father and, well, a bloke; I guess if you won't do it, I suppose it will have to be him but I need someone who picks me over Dumbledore and he didn't. He was my parents' friend and he didn't take me in after my parents died and Sirius went to Azkaban. Why is it the first time I heard from him was my third year back in the wizarding world? I truly don't hold that against him but it does make me think twice about how important I am to him.

“Mr. or Mrs. Weasley? After what G-gi—” Harry found it difficult to say her name and had to stop. Hermione didn't say anything and still sat there quietly. He took a deep breath and started again. “After what their daughter did to me... I mean these people raised her. They raised someone who could do that to another person. And they already have their hands full with their kids and... and... I'll be "in love" with one of them! They're married... no, not the Weasleys.

“Ron? Hagrid? These are the other people I trust but would they do what is needed to be done? And please Hermione, think of my reputation if people thought I was head over heels over one of them!” 

Harry could tell his attempt at a joke fell flat. His voice then lowered to a harsh whisper, “I'd have picked... Ginny... because at least I love— _loved_ her if it weren't for the fact that she was the one who did this to me.”

Silence greeted Harry after this. He was proud of himself, being able to say her name the second time. In the quiet, Harry thought could actually hear Hermione think from where he was. He spoke again, in a much gentler voice.

“You're my best friend Hermione. I trust you like no one else. You have always stood by me. Always. And you did things, even things that you knew would tick me off because you knew it was good for me, not for the greater good but _for me_. Please, there's no one else I trust. Not, 'there's no one else I trust more' just, right now, there's no one else I trust period.”

He heard her think about it some more and this time he let her. Finally she spoke again.

“Harry, I... um, that is to say,” she took a deep breath and began again. “Thank you Harry. You're my best friend, too, and I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to have your trust like this but I don't know if I can do this. To be responsible for your life. I don't know if I can.”

“Then tell me who. I trust your judgement.”

“I can't make this choice! It's yours! If I took away that choice I might as well have given you that blasted potion!”

“I made my choice Hermione,” he said, feeling a true calm for the first time since he learned the truth of his situation. “I'm choosing you. I won't force it on you, though, so if you don't want it, you choose who will replace you.”

“You don't understand, Harry,” he could feel something wet and warm strike the top of his hand, which Hermione was still holding. Was she crying again? “You will, for lack of a better word, love me. Beyond reason. Beyond care.”

Harry shrugged. “I could do a lot worse, I mean what if Pansy Parkinson found me?”

“Harry! This isn't funny!”

“Like you said, I wouldn't care, would I? As soon as I look at you, everything will be right as rain, won't it? I wouldn't care if you loved me back or not, or even if you married someone else, I'll still be devoted to you. To tell you the truth, now I'm kinda looking forward to it. No more doubts, no more fears...”

Harry's words trailed off as he suddenly realized _why_ Hermione was so upset. Fool! Idiot! Self-centered, selfish prat! Git! Stupid stupid stupid! And you call yourself a friend!

“Ah, Hermione I'm so sorry I just realized...it's R-ron, isn't it?” He couldn't see her nod but he felt her calm down, her hand wasn't as tense. “I'm such a git. I'm sorry, I got caught up in my own stuff I forgot about yours. He won't like it if I followed you around like a puppy, would he?”

He heard her sniff. “You know how he is. Even if we explained to him that it's because of the potion...”

Harry then realized the full implication of what it all meant.

“You won't be free of me, will you? You'll be bound to me just as surely as if you drank the potion and saw me. You'll be responsible for me, you can't have relationships without me hovering at the edge—”

“It's not just that Harry,” she interrupted. “Do you think it will be easy for me to allow my friend to become my s-slave? Or that you will look at me with love in your eyes and know that it isn't real? Or pursue a relationship with someone knowing that you 'love' me, even knowing that it's a compulsion? I can't do that Harry.”

Silence descended on them again, and this time it wasn't easy or comfortable.

“I'm sorry Hermione,” Harry said softly, breaking the silence. “I didn't think it through.”

“It's okay Harry,” she then put something in his hand. It felt like a vial.

“What's this?”

“It's what's left of the potion. I found it on Ginny after I stunned her.”

“I don't understand...” Harry didn't know if he was pleased to hear about her getting attacked or not. On the one hand, he wished Hermione hit her with a stronger hex but on the other hand, he felt his heart clench at the thought of her getting hurt. His traitorous heart still had feelings for her, even knowing what she did to him. It was confusing. He resolved to set it aside for now and think about it later, unconsiously knowing that if he manages to convince Hermione to let him bind himself to her, it wouldn't matter.

“Did you honestly think _I_ didn't think this through?” He could hear the smirk, pained though it was, in her voice. He still didn't understand until he felt her hands untying the knots on his blindfold and it rushed into him.

“Hermione! You're going to—but I thought—!”

“Harry... I was thinking about this all night while you were out of it. You can't live your life blind, and worse, knowing that if you lost your blindfold and if you open your eyes you'll lose your will.”

“So why were we arguing about this?” Harry couldn't help feeling frustrated and getting more than a little angry. What was the point of all this?

“I had to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into,” Hermione said, answering his unvoiced question as if reading his mind. “I'm honored you picked me Harry, but you had to understand what I was giving up, too. Do you understand?”

Harry let his anger and frustration go. This was Hermione for crying out loud, he just said that she's the only one he trusted. It was well past the time to put actions to words. So he thought about it for awhile. It really didn't take long.

“Yes,” he said. “It's about having a choice, isn't it? We have to know what we're going to get ourselves into.”

“Yes.” He was happy to hear the relief in her voice.

“Does Ron know?”

“Yes,” she said with a resigned tone in her voice. “I warned him that you might choose me. He wasn't happy about that until I asked him who he wanted you to be bound to instead.”

Harry couldn't help but let a corner of his mouth twitch up. He and Hermione really did think alike. It only made him feel better about his choice.

“What did he say?”

“He was quiet for awhile. Then he just said 'good luck' and left.”

“I'm sorry Hermione.”

“Like you said Harry, our lives are not our own.”

“Is... is that why Ron isn't here?”

“That,” she answered. “And he felt that he needed to be with his family. Ginny using the potion on you is like casting the Imperius. The Weasleys have been at the Ministry since this afternoon.”

Harry really didn't want to discuss her and Hermione was content to let it go. Silence descended on them again and while it wasn't awkward it wasn't completely comfortable either. He then felt her hands on the blindfold again. When she loosened the last knot, she kept the blindfold in place with one hand and she reached for the vial in Harry's hand. Harry's hand instinctively closed around it.

“Wait! Hermione, what are you doing?”

“Harry, I thought you understood?” she asked, confusion tinting her voice. “I'm going to drink the potion and then look at you.”

Harry's throat dried up again. “Why?” he winced at the raspy sound.

“Oh honestly! Harry we went through this,” the exasperation in her voice was like Hermione of old. Harry had missed that. “We both agreed you can't remain blindfolded. You chose me to bind with. And you know I can't do this without binding myself to you as well, not and retain some kind of sanity.”

Objections raced through Harry's mind. It was one thing for him to be enslaved but for Hermione! But he realized that every objection he had, Hermione or he himself already answered with their earlier conversation. He sighed and opened his palm, allowing Hermione to take the vial. He should have known better than to try and outsmart Hermione.

“All right,” he said, coming to peace with their decision.

“On three?”

“On three. And Hermione?” He had to tell her while it still meant something, while his heart was still free.

“Yes?”

“I do love you, you know.”

“I know,” she said. She understood. Harry knew she would. “I love you, too.”

He felt her lips on his. It was light, almost a whisper. It was a kiss between friends, and while Harry knew that in a few minutes that they will probably have more passionate kisses, this one was the truest.

“One,” Hermione began. Harry reached up and grabbed the loosened blindfold, freeing Hermione's hands.

“Two,” Harry answered. He heard her pop open the vial and drink.

“Three,” Hermione said.

Harry dropped the blindfold and opened his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Despite the title and the implications at the end, I categorized this as "Gen" and did not tag it as a Harry/Hermione because the story isn't really a love story. At least not that kind of love story.


End file.
